Review: Joshua Roth Bonsai Watering Wand
Summary
Product Type: Maintenance:
Extremely affordable. Flow control valve allows quick transition from watering large bonsai/growing beds to gentle rain needed for shohin or mame.:
Due to the nature of some of the plastic components, exposure to heat/cold extreme cycles will raise potential durability issues.As the oppressive heat of summer begins to bear down on the masses bonsai enthusiasts from coast to coast find themselves doing one thing that stands above all other tasks. WATERING. Ask any elementary school student and undoubtedly they will know the importance of water and plants. Bonsai, are not ordinary plants and they have [...]
As the oppressive heat of summer begins to bear down on the masses bonsai enthusiasts from coast to coast find themselves doing one thing that stands above all other tasks. WATERING. Ask any elementary school student and undoubtedly they will know the importance of water and plants. Bonsai, are not ordinary plants and they have more precarious watering requirements than most others. The subject to be discussed here is not the techniques and practices by which one should water. However, what I will discuss is an invaluable tool that makes the copious task of watering bonsai more manageable.
For the bonsai enthusiast there exists a myriad of watering devices. There are watering cans of all shapes and sizes and made of as many materials as one could imagine. Unfortunately, for those of us who have been seduced by the bonsai addiction a watering can, regardless of size, is not feasible for watering our collections.
On the other end of the spectrum there are those mechanically inclined folks who have the know-how time and money to rig all sorts of James Bond watering systems. Many of these systems have more components than the space shuttle and are also nearly as complicated. While these automated systems can provide precision and consistency in the watering of our beloved collections they (In my opinion) remove a large part of the human element and joy found in the process of watering and examining our trees.
As with most things somewhere in the middle seems to be the best way to go. For myself, and many others this means watering by hose. But bonsai are delicate! The good old fashioned wally-world nozzle or wand just wont cut it. We need a fine rose and even better something with an adjustable output. As with most things you can find bonsai watering wands in all price ranges from $9.99 to $99.99.
For my watering needs I selected the Joshua Roth bonsai watering wand. Here I will evaluate it on three basic and fundamental qualities. Price, Functionality, and Durability.
The Joshua Roth watering wand is one of the more economical and readily available of its kind on the market. Its general price range is $15-$30 depending on shipping costs. This product is near the bottom of the list as far as price goes but its performance is definitely not!. It comes with a coupler that has a turn style flow adjustment allowing the fine rose to gently sprinkle and saturate your shohin and mame then you can crank it wide open to drench your growing beds. The durability of the product is also in line with its fine performance. I have been using it flawlessly on a daily basis for the last three seasons with no signs of declining performance, only cosmetic discoloration.
The bottom line on this product is this. If you are looking for an economical solution to your watering needs give the Joshua Roth watering wand a shot. For the price you can’t go wrong and I guarantee you wont be disappointed with its performance.
About the Author
In my experience the saying “You get what you pay for.” holds true for everything. While the J. Roth wand is affordable I would not call it durable. The connection between the chrome shaft and plastic orange hose connector is very weak. I have had 4 or 5 wands break at that point. Also, the blue ring that holds the water nozzle has cracked several times. The plastic water flow control is of lesser quality and makes adjusting the flow rate a two hand operation.
If you have a small collection of trees that are grouped together then this wand will meet your needs. If you have a large collection that requires much hose dragging then look for a metal watering wand like a Masakuni. There are slightly more expensive but will last longer.